American Immigration Attitudes and NIMBYism

dzara016 — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 17:11:33 +0000

American Immigration Attitudes and NIMBYism dzara016 Mon, 10/06/2025 - 10:11 More Publications Jieun Lee and Harry G. Muttram October 03, 2025

In recent years, prominent Republican elites have instituted statewide migrant transportation programs in which asylum-seeking migrants are “bused” to liberal cities across the country. These programs are often justified by invoking NIMBYism (not-in-my-backyard), suggesting that when people must consider the effects of immigration policy in terms of their own community, their attitudes toward immigrants may shift.

Despite these claims, existing scholarship has yet to document whether and how American immigration preferences vary by spatial scale—or to evaluate the relative importance of such variation compared to other determinants of immigration attitudes.

Findings from a conjoint experiment conducted by UCR graduate students Jieun Lee and Harry G. Muttram reveal that Americans, on average, oppose immigrants proposed to move into their neighborhoods. However, spatial scale does not significantly alter considerations at the national, state, or city level. The relative importance of this NIMBY effect is modest compared to other individual-level characteristics of an immigrant. Moreover, despite elite claims of “liberal hypocrisy” in immigration, the study finds no evidence that the NIMBY effect varies by partisanship—both Democrats and Republicans exhibit similar, modest preferences against immigrants expected to move to their neighborhoods.

For the full article, see:
Lee, Jieun, and Harry G. Muttram. 2025. “American Immigration Attitudes and NIMBYism: Do Immigration Preferences Vary by Spatial Scale?” PS: Political Science & Politics, October 3, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096525101467.

UCR to Host 20th Anniversary Meeting of PRIEC

dzara016 — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 23:32:29 +0000

UCR to Host 20th Anniversary Meeting of PRIEC dzara016 Fri, 09/05/2025 - 16:32 More News Donald Zárate September 05, 2025

The Department of Political Science at the University of California, Riverside will host the Fall 2025 meeting of the Politics of Race, Immigration, and Ethnicity Consortium (PRIEC) on Friday, October 3, 2025. This year marks the 20th anniversary of PRIEC, and UCR is proud to welcome scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates for a day of collaboration and community.

Founded in 2005, PRIEC is an innovative academic forum that fosters networking and mentorship among scholars of race and ethnicity politics (REP). The consortium is especially known for its supportive, workshop-style environment, where participants present works-in-progress, receive constructive feedback, and build lasting connections. With rotating hosts across institutions, PRIEC charges no membership or registration fees, ensuring that accessibility and inclusivity remain at its core.

Event Details

The meeting will take place on Friday, October 3, 2025. The agenda, time, and on-campus location will be shared directly with registered participants. Those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP using the link below.

👉 RSVP here: https://bit.ly/priec20ucr

About PRIEC

PRIEC has spent two decades building a diverse scholarly community committed to advancing research and supporting scholars of color. Its attributes include:

A welcoming forum for works-in-progress and mentorship.
Rotating host institutions that share costs and responsibilities.
Free participation with no registration or membership fees.
Online resources and networking opportunities.
Themed events and methodology workshops.

By breaking down barriers in academia and creating space for inclusive scholarship, PRIEC continues to nurture future generations of political scientists while advancing the study of race, immigration, and ethnicity in politics.

For questions about the Fall 2025 PRIEC meeting at UC Riverside, please contact the organizers: Shaun Bowler (shaun.bowler@ucr.edu) or Kim Yi Dionne (kdionne@ucr.edu).

Research

American Immigration Attitudes and NIMBYism

UCR to Host 20th Anniversary Meeting of PRIEC

Event Details

About PRIEC